Always Will Be
by elfe136
Summary: After Dumbledore died, Tonks told everyone she loved Remus. Now Remus is back at Grimmauld Place, thinking about what this means for him, or them. Oneshot. RL/NT.


I wrote this oneshot in the summer, after watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II in English for the first time. I was devastated by Remus's and Tonks's deaths and felt that their relationship was neglected terribly in the movies; so that night, I wrote this just before I went to bed.  
>I'm a big Wolfstar shipper now, but this was written before I even knew what Wolfstar was; also I still love RemusTonks.

So this is for them, and for all the wonderful times I had.

Enjoy! :)

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><p>He had come to Sirius's room in Grimmauld Place after the battle. There he stood now, contemplating.<p>

Remus had a lot to think about. Most of all, Albus Dumbledore was dead. It was a heavy blow against the Order of the Phoenix. Nobody had dared to think of something in the case of Albus's death. And certainly nobody had expected Severus to kill him. Remus still felt the rage against the man Dumbledore had trusted. Yet it was not the only thing that occupied his mind; certainly not the most important one.

The others were of a rather personal nature and Remus would never dream of sharing his thoughts with anyone. Well, perhaps Sirius, if he had been around. And, of course, her.

It was always her; Remus would never admit, least of all to her, that most of his thoughts at day and most of his dreams at night wore her face. It had been this way for months. Years. One, two – Remus didn't remember. He kept resisting. Especially since she had articulated a certain interest in him as well. No, never. It was impossible.

And now, this night, she had said it in front of everyone.

Of course, Arthur had sort of known – she hadn't kept it secret. And Arthur had actually encouraged him. Remus couldn't bear it. He couldn't bear the look on Harry's face when he understood. Harry had, of course, been worried about her.

"Remus?" The quiet voice threw him back into the present. It was Tonks, of course. Her pale eyes bored into his, and he had to look down.

"Look, Nymphadora, I…"

"Don't call me that." Her voice was sharp. She crossed the almost empty room without touching him, without looking at him again. Then she sat down on the floor across him, back against the wall, pulling her knees to her body and looking up to him expectantly.

"Tonks." Remus felt helpless. It was torture, seeing her like this.

"That's better." Her voice was almost a growl. Despite this, she looked as vulnerable as a little girl, and Remus couldn't stop himself from taking a few uncertain steps in her direction. She was still looking at him. He couldn't help remembering that her eyes used to be blue. They were awfully pale now.

He knelt down beside her and took her hands. This was, possibly, the closest they had ever been to each other. He looked at her, not knowing where his certainty suddenly came from.

"I told you."

She shook her head violently before he could say another word.

"You told me", she spat, then her voice grew softer.

"You told me a thousand times, Remus. You're too old, you're too poor and most of all, too dangerous. I'm so sick of hearing it. Because you know as well as I do that the answer is always the same. Always has been. Always will be." She held his eyes steadily, without blinking. "I don't care."

Her hand was suddenly at his cheek, caressing him.

"How often do you need me to tell you until you start believing me?"

Remus couldn't speak. Her touch was… wonderful. He wanted to yell at her to go, to leave him, and he couldn't. She probably wouldn't listen to him, as always.

"I don't need someone my age. I don't need someone who's rich. I need you. And I don't care that you're a monster, because you're not."

"But I am", he managed to say. His voice sounded weak. "I could hurt you, kill you…"

She placed a finger over his lips, silencing him.

"I know. I don't care. A thousand times, Remus. I – don't – care."

It occurred to him that she was actually the most extraordinary woman he'd ever met. She was wonderful, she was perfect. And he was a fool to reject her, that much was clear; yet he would rather be a fool than let any harm come to her.

"I can't", he simply said. He made a move to stand up and leave, hard as it was. He didn't get very far. Tonks was standing now as well, holding him back, clutching his hand like her life depended on it.

"Liar", she said calmly, then pulled him close and kissed him.

He didn't resist.


End file.
